Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

But Ethan was not satisfied.

Using his wings for momentum, he shot forward and unleashed a flurry of rapid slashes. Each strike was aimed with surgical precision on its joints, tendons, and weak points.

The goblin, however, parried with unnerving reflexes.

It was fast—far too fast for a corpse. The two clashed at breakneck speed and their weapons became streaks of flashing steel under the eerie glow of the crimson altar.

But a single thought raced through his mind as he fought—

How did this goblin become so strong?
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He knew the goblin commander had only recently advanced to the Crystal Formation Realm which had been evident from its sluggish reaction speed and the injury it sustained during their earlier clash in the clearing.

Yet now, Ethan had to exert his full focus and sharpened instincts just to counter its inhuman attacks.

Its speed, strength, and flexibility had skyrocketed despite its massive frame and made it a far deadlier foe.

At this moment, Ethan was certain that the goblin commander's strength had nearly reached the peak of the Crystal Formation realm and definitely rivaled those seasoned warriors who had honed their instincts through a lifetime of battle and were untouched by the corruption of luxury and pleasure.

As those flurry of thoughts crossed his mind, Ethan twisted mid-air and narrowly dodged a sudden thrust aimed at his ribs.

In response, he kicked off a nearby stone pillar and flipped over the goblin's head while he slashed downward with his saber.

A gash opened across the goblin's broad back but instead of blood, only thick, black smoke seeped from the wound.

And to make it worse, the creature showed no sign of pain or hesitation.

It pivoted instantly and swung its halberd upward which forced Ethan to cross his saber and dagger in defense.

CRACK!

The impact sent a tremor through his arms.

Ethan was launched backward and crashed onto the altar's cold surface.

He barely had time to recover before the goblin was upon him again with its halberd descending onto his head like divine punishment.

His instincts screamed at him to dodge.

But instead of dodging, he met the attack head-on.

With a roar, Ethan pushed his strength to its limit.

His broken saber, infused with his Shadow Frost energy clashed against the descending halberd.

BANG!

The ground beneath him shattered, and the force of the impact sent shockwaves in all directions.

But Ethan didn't yield.

His muscles tensed and his veins bulged as the Arctic Sovereign's energy coursed through them.

His grip on his weapons tightened. The goblin commander's strength was immense but it was fueled by dark soul energy and a power Ethan's own bloodline had begun to crave.

A sudden pulse surged through his body and a deep, visceral hunger clawed at his mind.

The crimson skull's presence, the dark soul energy filling the air, all of it was acting as a catalyst.

The Lucent Void Clan's bloodline within him that originated from the Dreamshroud Devil Emperor's blood stirred.

His pupils darkened but suddenly glowed with a dreamy silver haze.

His heartbeat slowed and then quickened as fast as it aligned with something ancient and primal.

His grip on his saber changed.

With a sudden shift, Ethan sidestepped and let the halberd crash into the altar behind him. He pivoted in a flash and his movements suddenly turned smoother and sharper till it almost seemed unnatural.

His dagger plunged deep into the goblin's exposed ribs.

The commander shuddered, but Ethan wasn't done.

Twisting the blade, he used his free hand to slam his saber down in a brutal executioner's strike.

SHING!

The goblin's body split cleanly at the waist and titled as it was to fall down but Ethan didn't stop there.

With calculated precision, he moved through the air and sliced his saber and dagger in a crisscross combination in a flurry of lethal strokes.

The once-formidable foe was reduced to nothing but scattered chunks of flesh that rained down onto the altar below.

Dark magic pulsed along the edge of his saber, and as the severed pieces fell, they began to corrode midair and dissolved into pools of blackened sludge that scattered upon the flat peak.

The Dark Soul energy within the goblin dissipated into the wind, but it had only one refuge for now as it was absorbed into Ethan's body.

He exhaled sharply as he felt his body trembling from the battle's aftermath. Yet, deep within, he could feel it—his Devil Bloodline was stirring.

A strange tremor rippled through his bones and spine due to the infiltration of the Dark Soul Energy and it caused an oddly thrilling sensation that left him momentarily lightheaded.

Wild visions of silver clouds and a paradise-like world flashed through his mind space and seemed to be teasing him with glimpses of something… beyond.

His gaze snapped back to the crimson skull which had remained eerily silent all this while, yet he could feel it.

The true battle was only beginning.

"Oh, you can absorb my dark soul energy. How… astonishing."

Ethan's grip on his broken saber tightened as Zarghul's voice echoed in his mind in a maddening chorus of agony and torment that wove together into an eerie harmony.

Despite the entity's words, laced with amusement, he sensed the underlying hint of surprise and a slight shock in its tone.

He exhaled sharply and steadied his breath as his mind whirred.

Why hadn't Zarghul attacked him while he was locked in combat with the reanimated goblin commander?

The entity had ample opportunity to strike. Was it overconfidence? No—something else was at play.

He had spread a part of his soul sense during his intense melee with the reanimated goblin commander and had been wary of a sudden assault from the dark skull entity, yet nothing had come.

Now, as he analyzed the being's demeanor a realization dawned upon him.

It is bluffing.

The dark skull entity wanted to appear calm and unfathomable, but in truth, it had been straining itself.